So I installed my illuminas/s-techs last weekend and also switched from stock 15" to 17x7's. Took the car in for an alignment on Monday. Pick it up ask them how it went they tell me it was dead on factory spec. Take her for a ride and notice slight drifting to the left at highway speeds(60+). Also some headshake around 75-80mph. Go back to the shop the next day, explain the pulling to the left, the guy says "that alignment was dead on I watched them do it myself" and that "the pulling is probably from the tires." Tires are 225/45/17 Pirelli P Zeros with about 40-50% tread left. I think he is BSing me. Any thoughts?

 

Could be the rim or tire. I would think the shaking is from an improperly balanced tire. I know it would be a pain but I would put the stocks back on to see if it shakes and pulls then you would have it narrowed down.

 

I had the same thoughts on the shaking. The tires are only gonna last me the rest of the summer tops. Plus the pulling is inconsistent so it may be the tires as well. Just wanted to get some input on the matter

 

Yeah, if you really want to diagnose the problem, throw the stockies back on for a while, and see if you still notice the pull and shake.

 

i went to NTB yesterday to get an alignment because i've started having the same problems you're mentioning

and they didn't even want to give me an alignment and were dead set on the fact that my tires were improperly balanced

 

Psi levels the same in all tires?

 

WTF, the Pirellis have 40 to 50% tread remaining and they will only last the rest of the summer? That doesn't make any sense to me! Get them balanced.

 

those vibrations can be one of many things, but since new springs and struts shouldn't cause vibrations like that and you changed the wheels to some used ones with used tires, I would put my money there.

first.. check the air in all of the tires. make sure your pressures are the same for both fronts and both rears (front/rear can be different, but they need to be the same left-to-right). if not, one tire will have slightly more rolling resistance than the other and the lower pressure side will pull that way.


also look for bends or dings on the wheel. they can cause vibrations like that as well.

another thing that can happen are worn tie rod ends, ball joints, and stuff like that. I doubt that's the case, or you would have noticed it before and after the suspension install.

Anyway, one fix is to swap the wheels front/rear and see if it changes... if so, then start swapping the wheels left-right one pair at a time until it changes again.. that will allow you to isolate the tire/wheel in question. then you can examine it more closely.

do you need hubcentric rings on these wheels? If so, then install them before you do any more work. this could be as simple as one wheel not perfectly centered on the hub.

 

Depends on how you drive. I used to drive on Pirelli P7000SS, and would be lucky to get 10,000 miles out of a set. that's 6 months of driving for me.

now I get 10,000 miles out of a set of 35,0000 mile all-seasons, and a couple track days out of my track tires. eek.

 

But he said he had 40 to 50% tread remaining.

 

okay, so at 50%, that's 5,000 miles. that's 3 months for me since I drive ~20k per year.

I still *almost* consider that summer since I'm in Houston and it stays hot until about November.. in NY that's a different story.

 

The wheels are mint, not so much as a scratch on them, so my money is on the tires. I'll check psi and swap around see if that makes a difference.

I hope the wheels aren't off balance wheel weights are uuuugly as hell. Plus I'd have to find a shop that uses the stick on type so they don't fawk up my lip.

 

Almost all shops have the stick on weights now. just be sure to ask them to use them.

the good ones will even place them right behind the spokes (in two places if necessary) to keep them balanced, but also well hidden. it takes some high $$ balancing equipment to get that done right, but it can be done.

 

well after a few days of the "shakes" at around 50-60mph, i went and had all my tires balanced

now no more shakes and the shop said they were definitely out of balance, so i would definitely have yours checked out since i thought the culprit was definitely alignment

 

Turns out the right passenger side tire was overinflated by about 3psi. That solved the pulling to the left issue. Guess all I need is to get the wheels balanced now.

I'm pretty proud of myself I installed the suspension on my own, first time, and my camber stayed on point.

Camber bolts anyone?

 

where did you get them from, what kind, and how much?

 

Ingalls Fastcam bolts fron TireRack. They adjust 2 degrees of camber either way. They go for $20 a pair plus shipping on there. These are brand new not even taken out of the box. I'll sell em for $20 a pair shipped, save you on the shipping cost.

 

exatly what I was going to order. Let me get my paypal situated, and I'll get back to you. You'll save me about $10 in shipping.